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Mother's voice seems to boost language development in premature babies Tue, 14 Oct 2025 06:00:18 +0100 Babies born too soon seem to have stronger connections in one of the major brain areas that supports language processing if they regularly heard their mother read them a story while in intensive care

Your diet is probably dangerously acidic but there’s a simple solution Mon, 13 Oct 2025 17:00:43 +0100 Nutrition scientists have unlocked an entirely new way of thinking about why certain foods are good for you and others are harmful. Here’s what to eat to function at your best

Chatbots work best when you speak to them with formal language Mon, 13 Oct 2025 15:00:38 +0100 Are you terse and informal when speaking to an AI chatbot? If so, you might be getting worse answers than if you used more formal language

A black hole fell into a star – then ate its way out again Mon, 13 Oct 2025 13:00:55 +0100 Stars often fall into black holes, and now it seems the opposite can also occur, producing an extra long-lasting explosion as the star is consumed from within

What makes a quantum computer good? Mon, 13 Oct 2025 12:00:11 +0100 Claims that one quantum computer is better than another rest on terms like quantum advantage or quantum supremacy, fault-tolerance or qubits with better coherence – what does it all mean? Karmela Padavic-Callaghan sifts through the noise

Serum based on plant extracts boosts hair growth in weeks Fri, 10 Oct 2025 15:00:16 +0100 Applying a daily serum that contains extracts of a tropical plant improved hair density and strand thickness in just 56 days

Coral reefs are at a tipping point after surging global temperatures Mon, 13 Oct 2025 01:01:38 +0100 Record-breaking ocean temperatures have caused widespread bleaching and death among warm-water corals, which could have far-reaching consequences

Learning to play nice with other people Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 How did cooperation emerge in a cut-throat world? There are clues in the prisoner's dilemma experiment, says Peter Rowlett

Blue Planet Red is wrong about Mars – but it's surprisingly poignant Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Brian Cory Dobbs's documentary promotes the baseless idea that Mars was once inhabited by an advanced civilisation. But there's some value in how it inadvertently documents a generation of otherwise-sensible scientists, says Simon Ings

Physicists are uncovering when nature’s strongest force falters Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:50:54 +0100 The strong nuclear force may abruptly loosen its grip on the fundamental particles that make up matter at a special “critical point” – researchers are now getting a clearer picture of when that point is reached

Evolution of intelligence in our ancestors may have come at a cost Fri, 10 Oct 2025 13:00:36 +0100 By tracing when variations in the human genome first appeared, researchers have found that advances in cognitive abilities may have led to our vulnerability to mental illness

Therapy may be the most effective way to ease irritable bowel syndrome Fri, 10 Oct 2025 00:30:24 +0100 People with irritable bowel syndrome are often only given treatments like cognitive behavioural therapy after others have failed, but research suggests this approach is more effective than we thought

Stunning images highlight fight to save Earth’s rich biodiversity Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:31 +0100 From an alien-looking flat-faced longhorn beetle to an abandoned baby rhino, images at London’s Natural History Museum show what we stand to lose from the decimation of global biodiversity

'Sword Dragon' ichthyosaur had enormous eyes and a lethal snout Fri, 10 Oct 2025 02:00:19 +0100 A beautifully preserved skeleton found on the UK’s Jurassic Coast has been identified as a new species of the marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs

Robotic underwater glider sets out to circumnavigate the globe Fri, 10 Oct 2025 01:30:02 +0100 Redwing, a robotic submarine about the size of a surfboard, is embarking on a five-year journey that will follow the famed explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s voyage around the world

Hannah Ritchie's new book on net zero is a breath of fresh air Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Clearing the Air answers all your burning questions about the net-zero transition, with optimistic, data-led insights designed to address misinformation about climate change, says Madeleine Cuff

We've discovered another reason why naked mole rats live for so long Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:47 +0100 The longevity of naked mole rats may partly be due to them having a variant of a key protein that boosts DNA repair – a discovery that could help extend our own lives

Swirly lasers can control an ungovernable cousin of magnetism Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:34 +0100 Short pulses of light that impart rotation on a material's atoms can be used to switch a property called ferroaxiality, which could let us build very stable and efficient memory devices

Hidden ecosystem of the ovaries plays a surprising role in fertility Thu, 09 Oct 2025 20:00:24 +0100 A woman's fertility declines with age, which is often attributed to a fall in egg number and quality, but the environment of the ovaries themselves may also be responsible

We are horrified to discover that not every rose has a thorn Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback is shocked to learn that one of our most cherished metaphors involving roses and thorns really needs to be revisited. That's what happens when you invite the botanists to play

Top 250 oil and gas firms own just 1.5% of the world's renewable power Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:00:29 +0100 Despite public promises by many fossil fuel firms that they are investing in the green transition, it turns out that they have made little contribution to the growth of renewable energy

Why not all ultra-processed foods are bad for you Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Just because a food is ultra-processed doesn’t mean it is unhealthy. Regulation and eating advice must reflect this, say Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, co-authors of Food Intelligence: The science of how food both nourishes and harms us

How pie-in-the-sky conspiracies distract from climate dangers Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The conspiracy theory that bad actors use "chemtrails" from aircraft to poison us sucks energy from legitimate protest against aviation's effects on the climate, says Graham Lawton

Selfish sperm see older fathers pass on more disease-causing mutations Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:12 +0100 Older men are more likely to pass on disease-causing mutations to their children because of the faster growth of mutant cells in the testes with age

King Richard III's oral microbiome hints he had severe gum disease Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:00:59 +0100 The skeleton of King Richard III, which was found beneath a car park more than a decade ago, has well-preserved teeth, allowing scientists to sequence his oral microbiome

The Whispers of Rock is a personal journey through aeons of geology Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 In her new book, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa writes a love letter to Earth's rocks and mountains, offering a passionate blend of science and spirituality

Pig liver transplant into a living person edges it closer to the norm Thu, 09 Oct 2025 06:01:43 +0100 The first ever transplantation of a pig's liver into a living person helps us better understand how animal organs can be used to prolong, or even save, lives

Electrons inside graphene have been pushed to supersonic speeds Wed, 08 Oct 2025 19:18:35 +0100 Making electrons flow like a liquid is difficult, but inside graphene researchers forced them to move so fast that they created dramatic shockwaves

Memory chips just 10 atoms thick could vastly increase capacity Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:29 +0100 A memory chip just 10 atoms thick has been tested in a lab and integrated into conventional chips, demonstrating a technology that could improve the capacity of our devices

The moon's largest crater didn't form in the way we thought Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:15 +0100 The impact that carved out the South Pole-Aitken basin on the moon appears to have come from the north, not the south as previously thought – and NASA’s upcoming mission could investigate further

Why everything you thought you knew about your immune system is wrong Wed, 08 Oct 2025 17:00:09 +0100 Immunologist Daniel Davis wants to eradicate long-held myths and replace them with wonder at the complexity of the body’s defence system

Nobel prize in chemistry awarded for work on molecular architecture Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:58:33 +0100 Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar Yaghi have been honoured for the development of metal-organic frameworks, porous materials that can capture water or pollutants

There are five types of sleep – here's what that means for your health Tue, 07 Oct 2025 20:00:27 +0100 Scientists have identified five sleep profiles, each of which is linked to distinct mental health symptoms and brain activity patterns

Is the universe really one big black hole? Tue, 07 Oct 2025 19:00:57 +0100 According to the equations that govern black holes, the larger one of these cosmic behemoths is the lower its average density – given that the universe contains a lot of relatively empty space, could the whole cosmos be a black hole?

One of Earth’s most vital carbon sinks is faltering. Can we save it? Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:00:11 +0100 For decades, forest, grasslands and other land ecosystems have collectively absorbed up to a third of the carbon dioxide we emit each year - but this climate buffer may be collapsing far sooner than anyone expected

Biodegradable plastic made from bamboo is strong and easy to recycle Tue, 07 Oct 2025 17:00:01 +0100 Bamboo is a highly renewable resource, and its cellulose fibres can be turned into a hard, mouldable plastic for use in cars and appliances

Nobel prize for physics goes to trio behind quantum computing chips Tue, 07 Oct 2025 11:58:15 +0100 The 2025 Nobel prize in physics has gone to John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis, whose work has led to the development of today's quantum computers

Galaxies fling out matter much more violently than we thought Mon, 06 Oct 2025 20:44:38 +0100 An analysis of the afterglow of the big bang sheds light on how black holes distribute mass in the universe, and why some matter previously seemed to have been missing

General relativity might save some planets from death Mon, 06 Oct 2025 18:00:29 +0100 Some habitable worlds orbiting dead stars could be kept alive for aeons thanks to a quirk of Einstein’s theory of gravity

What’s my Alzheimer’s risk, and can I really do anything to change it? Mon, 06 Oct 2025 17:00:12 +0100 Can you escape your genetic inheritance, and do lifestyle changes actually make a difference? Daniel Cossins set out to understand what the evidence on Alzheimer’s really means for him

Nobel prize for medicine goes to trio for work on immune tolerance Mon, 06 Oct 2025 11:42:21 +0100 The 2025 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine has gone to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discoveries around how we keep our immune system under control

Shackleton knew his doomed ship wasn’t the strongest before sailing Mon, 06 Oct 2025 13:00:13 +0100 Endurance, the wooden ship that Ernest Shackleton took to Antarctica in 1915, wasn't built to withstand frozen seas – and the famous explorer knew it

Would a ban on genetic engineering of wildlife hamper conservation? Mon, 06 Oct 2025 09:00:14 +0100 Some conservation groups are calling for an effective ban on genetic modification, but others say these technologies are crucial for preserving biodiversity

Prepare to enjoy four spectacular supermoons in a row Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 If you are a fan of the moon, then the next four months will give you something special to watch out for, says Abigail Beall

New Scientist recommends Chris Hadfield's Final Orbit Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week

Do black holes exist and, if not, what have we really been looking at? Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:00:19 +0100 Black holes are so strange that physicists have long wondered if they are quite what they seem. Now we are set to find out if they are instead gravastars, fuzzballs or something else entirely

The exceptionally tasty new fermented foods being cooked up in the lab Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:00:00 +0100 Fermented foods make up a third of what we eat and were mostly discovered by accident centuries ago. Now a fermentation revolution is promising extraordinary new flavours and novel ways to boost gut health

Your happiness in life may not be U-shaped - here's how it could vary Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:54:51 +0100 We thought happiness peaked at the beginning and end of life, but a study from Germany suggests a more pessimistic outlook for our later years

There is an odd streak in the universe – and we still don’t know why Fri, 03 Oct 2025 17:00:27 +0100 Astronomers have long thought the universe should look generally the same in every direction, but an anomaly in the radiation from the big bang persists even after a new analysis from radio telescopes

Exceptional star is the most pristine object known in the universe Fri, 03 Oct 2025 16:00:12 +0100 A star found in the Large Magellanic Cloud is remarkably unpolluted by heavier elements, suggesting it is descended from the universe’s earliest stars

20 bird species can understand each other’s anti-cuckoo call Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:00:45 +0100 Several species of birds from different continents use and understand similar alarm calls when they see an invader that might lay an egg in their nest – this shared call hints at the origin of language

Kids as young as 4 innately use sorting algorithms to solve problems Fri, 03 Oct 2025 11:00:11 +0100 It was previously thought that children younger than 7 couldn't find efficient solutions to complex problems, but new research suggests that much earlier, children can happen upon known sorting algorithms used by computer scientists

Why Our Brains, Our Selves won the Royal Society science book prize Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:38 +0100 Sandra Knapp, chair of the judging panel for the 2025 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, explains why neurologist Masud Husain’s collection of case studies is such an enlightening, compassionate book

Read an extract from Our Brains, Our Selves by Masud Husain Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:36 +0100 In this passage from Our Brains, Our Selves, winner of the Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize, neuroscientist Masud Husain recounts how novelist Marcel Proust became convinced, wrongly, that he'd had a stroke

Our verdict on ‘The Dispossessed’: A tricky but rewarding novel Fri, 03 Oct 2025 10:00:32 +0100 The New Scientist Book Club has just finished reading Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Dispossessed. Most of our members enjoyed it, even if the sheer volume of ideas in the book made it a challenging read

Disturbing Netflix mystery explores a world out to 'solve' adolescence Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Set at a strange academy in small-town Vermont, Netflix’s Wayward aims to pacify unruly teens by master manipulation. Bethan Ackerley finds a creepy, troubled world

Autism may have subtypes that are genetically distinct from each other Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:53 +0100 Autism may exist in multiple forms, with the condition's genetics and signs differing according to the age at diagnosis

Endearing photos of bats show clever adaptations like long tongues Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 In his book The Genius Bat, ecologist Yossi Yovel explains why these mammals are a vital part of ecosystems, pollinating plants and keeping insect populations in check

Exploring PMS is a great idea, but The Period Brain can be simplistic Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Premenstrual syndrome and its symptoms is neglected by science, so Sarah Hill's new book is welcome. But it needs more on genetics, not just lifestyle changes, says Alexandra Thompson

Should we worry AI will create deadly bioweapons? Not yet, but one day Thu, 02 Oct 2025 20:00:38 +0100 AI tools are being used to design proteins and even viruses, leading to fears these could eventually be used to evade bioweapon controls

Antarctica may have crossed a tipping point that leads to rising seas Thu, 02 Oct 2025 16:00:44 +0100 Scientists are beginning to understand the sudden loss of sea ice in Antarctica – and there is growing evidence that it represents a permanent shift with potentially catastrophic consequences

Why 'beauty factories' could solve two massive cosmological mysteries Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Facilities that make particles called B mesons may seem obscure, but they could help explain why there is more matter than antimatter and what dark matter is, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein

Rogue planet gains 6 billion tonnes per second in record growth spurt Thu, 02 Oct 2025 14:00:51 +0100 A free-floating planet has been seen devouring astonishing amounts of matter, hinting that stars and planets are more alike than we thought

How Jane Goodall changed the way we see animals – and the world Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:02:18 +0100 Jane Goodall, who chronicled the social lives of chimps, has died, but she leaves a lasting legacy on how we view the natural world

How playing a musical instrument helps children learn to read Thu, 02 Oct 2025 12:00:57 +0100 Learning to play an instrument has long been linked to improved reading skills among children, and we may finally understand why

What might the humble house mouse be trying to tell us? Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Feedback is amazed to find that the audible vocalisations of the house mouse is all but unstudied in favour of the ultrasonic sounds humans can’t hear. SQUEAK!

Why abandoning psychedelic research in the 1970s was a blow to science Wed, 01 Oct 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Work on medical uses of mind-altering substances was sidelined for decades by the political backlash against drugs, a misstep that has echoes in today’s intolerance of some fields of study

Jane Goodall, dogged advocate for the natural world, has died aged 91 Wed, 01 Oct 2025 21:30:19 +0100 Acclaimed conservationist and chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall has died, leaving behind a legacy of empathy for primates and the natural world

Evolution may explain why women live longer than men Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:00:28 +0100 In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way – a study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences

The mystery of highly reactive oxygen has finally been solved Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:42 +0100 Singlet oxygen can be damaging in both cells and batteries but it has taken almost 60 years to work out exactly when it shows up in chemical reactions within both

'We're precipitating an extermination rather than an extinction event' Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:00:33 +0100 Broadcaster and campaigner Chris Packham is on a mission to cut overconsumption, take on fossil fuel giants and create a fairer world

NASA's asteroid deflection test had unexpected and puzzling outcome Wed, 01 Oct 2025 16:00:43 +0100 The DART mission achieved its goal of changing one asteroid’s orbit around another, but questions remain about why the orbit continued to alter over the following month

How brain organoids are revealing what truly makes humans unique Wed, 01 Oct 2025 15:00:55 +0100 Madeline Lancaster created the first brain organoids, which have revolutionised our understanding of how the brain works - but also raised ethical questions

The best new science fiction books of October 2025 Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:00:55 +0100 Science fiction legend Ursula K. Le Guin is honoured with a new collection out this month, and sci-fi fans can also look forward to fiction from astronaut Chris Hadfield and award-winning authors Ken Liu and Mary Robinette Kowal

The most important mathematician you’ve (probably) never heard of Mon, 29 Sep 2025 15:24:37 +0100 Alexander Grothendieck was a titan in his field, making deep connections that fuelled a revolution in mathematics, before giving it all up and disappearing. Jacob Aron explores what his work meant

We now know why a belly button becomes an 'innie' Tue, 30 Sep 2025 21:27:38 +0100 Scientists have discovered a new abdominal structure called the umbilical sheath, which anchors the remnant of the umbilical cord to deep abdominal tissues and helps determine the shape of your navel

Egg cells made with DNA from human skin fertilised in the lab Tue, 30 Sep 2025 18:05:44 +0100 An innovative use of skin cells could provide a route for same-sex couples or women with fertility problems to have children that both partners are genetically related to

'Funny' videos of stressed and frightened pets are no laughing matter Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:54:42 +0100 Social media is awash with videos of cats and dogs getting startled or hurt for our entertainment. We should all be more alert to poor animal welfare, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre

Ancient artists created giant camel engravings in the Arabian desert Tue, 30 Sep 2025 17:00:44 +0100 Almost 200 engravings created around 12,000 years ago have been discovered in Saudi Arabia, including depictions of camels etched into cliff faces over 40 metres high

Astronomers captured an incredible view of M87’s black hole jet Tue, 30 Sep 2025 12:00:00 +0100 The black hole at the centre of a galaxy more than 50 million light years away is spewing out a jet of extremely hot plasma – though we have studied it for a century, we are only now seeing it in great detail

Cannabis extract found to be effective for lower back pain Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:00:16 +0100 A clinical trial has found that VER-01, a drug derived from cannabis, eases chronic lower back pain without serious side effects or signs of addiction

We may finally know what causes will-o’-the-wisps Mon, 29 Sep 2025 21:00:55 +0100 Mysterious flashes of light seen in swamps and bogs could be caused by burning methane or other gases, ignited by sparks that fly between bubbles in water

Our brain 'swivels' to focus on sounds from different directions Mon, 29 Sep 2025 17:00:32 +0100 Many mammals physically pivot their ears to hone in on a particular sound, and now it seems that a similar action takes place in our brain

Ultracold clocks could reveal how quantum physics alters time Mon, 29 Sep 2025 13:00:34 +0100 The world’s best clocks may be sensitive to an odd mix of quantum and relativistic effects that would stretch time and test the boundaries of physics

Extraordinary pictures show what a common antibiotic does to E. coli Mon, 29 Sep 2025 11:33:29 +0100 A commonly used class of antibiotics seems to kill bacteria like E. coli by breaking down their tough armour

If you feel you don't really belong, here is some science-based advice Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Thinking you don’t fit in is agonising, whether you are starting at university or changing jobs. Our advice columnist, David Robson, shares some tips to change how you feel

Two-in-one inhalers slash asthma attacks among young children Sun, 28 Sep 2025 07:00:54 +0100 Inhalers that combine relieving breathlessness with preventing it seem to be the most effective option for reducing asthma attacks in young children

The truth about narcissists: How to handle them, and can they change? Tue, 23 Sep 2025 17:00:23 +0100 Although narcissistic personality disorder is rarer than you might think, psychological research suggests it can come in two different types, one of which may be underdiagnosed

A deeper understanding of endometriosis is suggesting new treatments Mon, 22 Sep 2025 17:00:29 +0100 The revelation that endometriosis is linked to autoimmune disorders is opening up a whole new way to treat this painful and poorly understood condition

Is reading always better for your brain than listening to audiobooks? Mon, 22 Sep 2025 11:00:40 +0100 Reading books and listening to audiobooks tap into different elements of cognition, each with their own benefits. So which one should you choose, and when?

How faster-than-light explosions could reveal the universe’s secrets Wed, 24 Sep 2025 17:00:24 +0100 Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more

Lung inflammation may make traumatic events harder to forget Fri, 26 Sep 2025 19:00:07 +0100 Severe lung inflammation has been linked to symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder in mice, which could help us better treat and prevent the mental health condition

Novels with a certain structure are more likely to be classics Fri, 26 Sep 2025 18:00:52 +0100 Novels need a gripping story to stay popular as the decades pass, but it seems that other less-obvious factors may also contribute to their lasting success

Did a star blow up and hit Earth 10 million years ago? Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:09:42 +0100 There are signs deep beneath the Pacific Ocean that an exploding star once sent cosmic rays blasting out towards Earth, and now we have an idea of which stars may be to blame

Babies' brains 'tick' more slowly than ours, which may help them learn Fri, 26 Sep 2025 14:00:55 +0100 The rhythm of an infant's brain activity seems to put them in constant learning mode, whereas that of an adult may allow them to retrieve conceptual knowledge

Atmospheric chaos has sent temperatures soaring in Antarctica Fri, 26 Sep 2025 13:00:56 +0100 Stratospheric temperatures in Antarctica are spiking, which could see strange weather unfold across the southern hemisphere in the coming months

How fast you age may be controlled by a DNA repair boss in your cells Fri, 26 Sep 2025 12:00:17 +0100 When a key protein regulator dials down DNA repair mechanisms, our cells accumulate more mutations, which may cause us to age faster

Amazing images expose inner world of mind-blowing plants and fungi Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Surreal images from a new book, Microcosms, show how confocal microscopy that uses laser scanning creates a super-sharp new journey around mind-altering plants and fungi

Dramatic photos show bid to save the Javan slow loris Wed, 17 Sep 2025 19:00:00 +0100 The photos tell an unusual rescue story – the release of the critically endangered Javan slow lorises into Ujung Kulon National Park on Java Island, Indonesia, last month.

A compelling book about the end of the Neanderthals is a rare treat Wed, 24 Sep 2025 19:00:00 +0100 Forget the tropes about how violence or maybe volcanic eruptions killed off our ancient cousins, The Last Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak offers a very different take on how they died out